A Manlius road marker placed by the Works Progress Administration in the early 20th century reads: “Indian Hill was the home of the Onondaga Indians.”

Scott Stevens, a citizen of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, said some people would be “very surprised” to know the Onondaga nation is still here today, living just down the road on their reservation.

“They always place indigenous people of this region in the distant past,” said Stevens, the director of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Syracuse University.

This will be the third year that SU has recognized the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day — the holiday was officially no longer recognized as Columbus Day after students proposed the idea to university officials in 2016.

“We do as native people live in the state, and so the increased recognition that we get from the university is a necessary sign of respect,” Stevens said.

Senior Maris Kaharonkwas Jacobs, who identifies with the Kahnawake Mohawk, helped collect signatures in support of changing the holiday’s name to Indigenous Peoples Day. She said she remembers standing on the Quad asking for signatures, even though some didn’t support the change.

“It’s a day that we’ve kind of reclaimed as something for us,” Jacobs said. “And not only that, it’s another teaching moment for us, for people that question.”

Students in the Native Student Program had their sights set on something more. At the Haudenosaunee Promise Scholars reception in 2016, the university announced that Haudenosaunee flags would be flown alongside U.S. flags on campus.

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Stevens said the university’s decision to fly the Haudenosaunee flag is a rarity. He’s taught at other institutions, including Arizona State University and SUNY Buffalo, where indigenous people were not recognized by the university administration.

Stevens said he sees SU’s relationship with the Onondaga Nation as a long-term one that is continually growing. Although there’s still room for increased visibility, Stevens said the university’s decision to implement a land acknowledgment before major campus events was a step in the right direction.

“It’s an interesting problem that we’re here among you and present and yet it’s often very invisible to people,” Stevens said.

Last Friday, several students came together to address that problem. They met at the Native Student Program on Euclid Avenue to make posters for a rally in Columbus Square on Monday. The event will feature local speakers and artists from the indigenous community in an effort to acknowledge the tragedies of Columbus’ history.

Brainstorming poster ideas, students searched online for Columbus Day memes, hoping to find designs and slogans that will connect their audience. Signs from previous demonstrations laid strewn across the table, expressing sentiments such as “It’s a great day to be indigenous” and “We’re still here.”

One student asked if it was appropriate to wear her regalia to the protest. Another student responded saying she was going to wear a graphic t-shirt, but that people should wear what they feel most comfortable in.

Philip George, a junior international relations and religion dual student who identifies with the Cayuga, Mohawk and Oneida, plans to speak publicly at the demonstration during his first time attending the annual Columbus Square rally. He said it’s important for Native Americans, especially leaders of federally-recognized tribes, to speak up about modern injustices.

“We’re ignored all the time,” George said. “We’re always ignored with polls and voting polls and nobody seems to talk about with Native Americans think.”

For George, helping people understand the truth about Native history is an important step in resolving modern issues.

George said he would like to see SU invest in a Native American education center. He envisions a gathering place where the indigenous community can bring the Syracuse community to teach Native ceremonies and other social events.

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Since Stevens began working at SU, he has seen growth in the Native American and Indigenous studies program. The department recently hired Danika Medak-Saltzman, a women’s and gender studies professor who specializes in indigenous feminisms, among other things.

Jacobs and others in the Native Student Program are working to increase awareness beyond the classroom. She said the university’s land acknowledgment and decision to fly the Haudenosaunee flag are steps in the right direction, but there’s more that needs to be done.

“We want to go further than that because ultimately we want the campus to know and be educated about who we are,” Jacobs said. They are working toward more collaboration with chiefs and clan mothers to develop the university’s relationship with the Onondaga Nation, she said.

After spending her time advocating for indigenous students through planning Native Heritage month activities, participating in Dakota Access Pipeline protests and working with Indigenous Students at Syracuse, Jacobs has reached her goal of giving back to her community. Although Jacobs will graduate in the spring, she said her commitment to advocating for indigenous peoples won’t stop once she leaves campus.

She encourages the Syracuse community to keep an open mind and to stay curious.

“That’s what I think our program is for. We help each other but we also look to help anyone else in the community, too,” Jacobs said.

The Indigenous Peoples Day ceremony is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The event is sponsored by the Syracuse Peace Council and Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation. SUNY-ESF will also host a celebration beginning at 11 a.m. on the ESF Quad.

Published on October 7, 2018 at 10:41 pm

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